Sealing can closure



Aug. 21, 1951 R. w. SAXTON SEALING CAN CLOSURE Filed Jan. 27, 1950 Patented Aug. 21, 1951 UNITED STAT ES PATENT OFFICE SEALING 'CAN Q osurtE' Roy W. SaxtomBu-hl; Idaho Application January 27, 195 0-,.Si?J' 4 Claims. (Cl. 220L755) This invention relates to a novel closure or lid for use with conventional milk or cream cans such as are emplo'yed'for hauling and storing milk or cream and has for its primary object to provide a can lid or closure which will" fit conventional cans of difierent capacities, all of which are provided with a standard size open top and which may be securely locked in a sealedand closed position but which may be quickly and easily released and removed.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a can lid or closure to replace the conventional plug typ e closures now employed which readily work loose from a press fit engagement and which do not prevent dirt and foreign matter from accumulating around the neck of the can and dropping into the contents thereof when such plug-type closures are removed;

Another object of the invention is to provide a sealing closure or lid'which will not work loose due to vibration incident to hauling and which will eliminate spilling of the contents of the can in the event that the cans are overturned.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lid or closure which will completely seal and close the open upper end of a can and which will enable cans to be readily stacked oneupon the other. i

Still a furtherobject ofthe'invention is to pro' vide a can lid or closure of extremelysimple construction provided with retaining means tofunction in conjunctionwith the neck and rimof a conventional milk or creamcan and by which the lid may be securely'retained in an applied position for-sealing the-opene-nd of the can.

Still a further object ofthe'invention is to provide a can lid of extremely simple constructionwhich may be economically manufactured, and which will be efficient and durable for accomplishing its intended purpose and which may bereadily secured to or detached from the open topof a milk or cream can but which will be readily retained in an applied position thereon.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a conventional milk can showing th improved lid or closure applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a toprplanv-iew thereofshew r il he closure in an applied but unlatched-position;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the lid or closure showing the locking cam in released position;

Figure 4' is an enlarged diametrical sectional view'oi the closure and upper portion of the-can, showing the closure locked in a sealing position;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary radial sectional view of a 'p 'tion of the. closure and can neck and showmg. the closure hei'ng applied to or removed from he n n k and:

1" gu 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially long a plane as indicated by the.

- 11 6-.6 of Figure 4,

eferring more speci call to the drawing, the

novel lid or closure comprising th invention is designated geiierall'y T an includes a substanmany rigid body ort on a which ma be formed of metal, corresponding to material used for a can to which it is applied or which may be formed of any other suitable material. The body 8, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3' is substantially diskshaped except for two outwardly projecting exe tensions. or ears 5 which project from portions tively large dished entral portion iii in its upper surface defining. adownwardly extending frusto; conical surface H. A relatively thick ring or asket l2 formedof a sealing andcushioning ma,- terial such as rub e; is secured to the underside of the. body 8' around its irusto-conical portion l' l inv any suitable. mariner as by a bonding medium.

.Each of the ears or projections 9 has the upper. endof a bolt [3 secured therein and said bolts I; extend downwhl'dl y from the ears 9 and are disposed substantially perpendicular to the plane thereof and are provided at their op-i pbsite ends with. nuts or heads I. Each bolt li supQorts a. lever, designated generally [5 having an enlarged head H5 at one end. thereof which. is provi d ed with an opening I! which is eccentricall' y. disposed with respect to the pe riphery oi the. head [.6 and which turnably engagesthe shank. of the bolt. The lever head's IG/are supported by the bolt heads or nuts IA;

end: thereof. which located nearest to the. bolt shank l3 to the; end thereof which is locatedv more remote to said bolt shank l3 so that the first; mentioned, wider portion of each beveled. surface 18 is not sloped at as great an angle tothe plane of the lever head [6 as the other;

narrower end, of. the beveled surface [8 andwhich is: located more? remote to the bolt. shank opening H,

A conventional milk. or cream can of the type employed" for hauling; and storing milk and-creamin. bulk is illustratediin: the drawing to= illustratethe: application.- and: use of. the improved sealing; Such milk or cream cans: are nfiadcclosure 1. in different sizes but are: provided with a standard size filling and dispensing neck. The can I9 is provided with a restricted neck portion 20 having a flared or frusto-conical outer neck portion 2| defining the upper open end of the can and which terminates in an outturned rolled bead 22.

With the levers l disposed as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 so that the beveled surfaces- I8 are disposed outwardly with respect to the bolts It, the lid or closure 1 is placed over the open top of the can it. The levers I5 are then swung clockwise from their unlatched positions of Figure 2 toward their latched positions of Figures 1 and e. In so moving, the beveled surfaces l8 are initially moved into engagement with the underside of the bead 22 and said bead is initially engaged by the wider end of the beveled surfaces l8 which are disposed nearest the bolts l3 and which have the least angle of inclination, as illustrated in Figure 5. As the levers 15 are moved on toward their full line positions of Figures '1 and 4 and their dotted line positions of Figure 2, said beveled surfaces form cams which displace the lid 1 downwardly with respect to the neck portion 2| by engagement with the underside of the bead 22 and as the lever heads it are thus displaced inwardly with respect to the neck portion 2| and bead 22, said bead 22 rides up onto the top surface of the heads l6 and the beveled portions l8 which are located more remote to the bolts l3 and which have a greater angle of inclination approach the frusto-conical neck portion 2| so that when the handle ends of the levers l5 reach positions beneath the body member 8 and bead 22 and against the frusto-conical neck portion 2|, as illustrated in full lines in Figures 1 and 6 and in dotted lines in Figure 2, the portions of the beveled surfaces [8 which are disposed most remote to the bolts l3 and which have substantially the same angle of inclination as the frusto-conical neck portion 2| will be disposed substantially against said neck portion 2!, as illustrated in Figure 4 for locking the lid 1 in an applied position on the open top of the container l9. When the lid 1 is thus locked on the container i9, its frusto-conical surface II will engage a portion of the inner surface of the outer frusto-conical neck portion 2| and the sealing gasket I2 will be compressed between the body member 8 and the bead 22 for effectively sealing the open upper end of the can l9. It will be readily apparent that in this position of the parts, the handles of the levers IE will be disposed substantially beneath the body member 8 to prevent the levers l5 from being accidentally engaged and swung clockwise to released or unlatched positions as illustrated in full lines in Figure 2, but said handle ends will be disposed so that they can be readily engaged and swung to their full line positions of Figure 2 for quickly and easily unsealing and removing the lid 1, when desired. The lid 1 provides an annular flat top surface so that a plurality of cans l9 may be stacked one upon the other and efiiciently seals the can so that the contents thereof will not be spilled should the can overturn and roll. The lid 1 likewise will not become released and unsealed due to vibration as occurs in hauling.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to,.

without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A sealing closure for milk or cream cans comprising, in combination with a milk or cream can having a neck provided with a flared frustoconical outer portion which terminates in an outturned rolled bead, a closure for closing and sealing said neck comprising a body member having a frusto-conical portion on its underside sized to fit into the frusto-conical neck portion, a sealing gasket disposed on the underside of said body member around its frusto-conical portion to engage the upper side of the rolled bead, journal members extending downwardly from said body member in outwardly spaced relationship to said sealing gasket, a plurality of lever members, each of said lever members having an enlarged head at one end thereof provided with an arcuate edge and having an opening extending through the head disposed eccentrically of said edge, each of the heads being supported on one of the depending journal members and being journaled thereon by engagement of the head opening therewith, the upper side of each head having a beveled surface extending coextensively with a substantial portion of its arcuate edge, said beveled surfaces initially engaging under the rolled bead as the levers are swung on said journal members in directions to displace the heads inwardly with respect to the can neck for camming the heads downwardly for displacing the frusto-conical portion of the body member into the frusto-conical neck portion and the gasket into clamping engagement with the bead, and said beveled surfaces being eccentrically disposed relatively to the head openings to move inwardly Oi the bead as the lever heads are displaced inwardly and cammed downwardly for positioning portions of the upper surfaces of the lever heads beneath said bead for locking the closure in sealing engagement with the ,open top of the can.

2. A sealing closure as in claim 1, the opposite ends of said handles being disposed in protected positions beneath the body member and bead and against the frusto-conical neck portion when the closure is locked in a sealing position on the open topof the can.

3. A sealing closure as in claim 1, said beveled surfaces being located eccentrically of the journal members and decreasing in width and increasing in their angles of inclination from the ends thereof located adjacent the journal members to their opposite ends.

4. A sealing closure as in claim 1, said beveled surfaces being located eccentrically of the journal members and decreasing in width and increasing in their angles of inclination from the ends thereof located adjacent the journal members to their opposite ends, and the last mentioned, narrower ends of said beveled surfaces being positioned relatively to the journal members to abut portions of the outer side of the frusto-conical neck portion when the closure is in a sealed and locked position.

ROY W. SAXTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 160,163 Colgrove Feb. 23, 1875 1, 99,989 Johnson Oct. 3, 1916 

